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Seattle homeless get some respect (legally)

by Rob Peters | January 11, 2008 at 11:15 am

1382 views | 5 Recommendations | 7 comments

It's really saddening that not attacking vulnerable people had to be legally enforced.

Homeless people who live a mere three hours south of Vancouver are now the beneficiaries of a level of protection never before given to anyone living on the streets of North America. The City of Seattle recently made it a crime to harass the homeless — the first such law of its kind — and homeless advocates hope it will deter people from dehumanizing and harming society’s most vulnerable.

Lubna Mahadeen, who sits on the Seattle Human Rights Commission, said the city is listed as the seventh most dangerous for homeless people in the U.S.

Seattle’s homeless situation is similar to that in Vancouver: Seattle has approximately 1,600 of King County’s 2,200 homeless people without shelter every night, while Vancouver statistics show about 2,200 in shelters and on the street. In an interview with WE, Vancouver-Burrard MLA Lorne Mayencourt said he likes the idea Seattle has introduced.

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Jordan Yerman

at 12:04 on January 11th, 2008

At the risk of sounding cynical, I'm surprised to see this. Traditionally, those without property are ignored in the justice system (as laws exist- and are enforced- to protect people's stuff, and homeless people tend not to have stuff, and are therefore generally ignored: my dad, a federal investigator, works at the Hall of Justice in San Francisco, which is in the Tenderloin; all sorts of violence and theft in and from the homeless goes on there, and the police pretty much ignore it), and exacerbating this, those without families or social networks can go missing and nobody will know, so the murder rate (solved and unsolved) is really hard to pin down.

Arlss

at 16:04 on January 11th, 2008

Wow! Interesting news.

Hopefully this all works out for the better.

Damien Knowles

at 16:18 on January 11th, 2008

I took the photo of the Ninja sign man. He is the only homeless person in the developed world I have ever given money to. That was purely for the creative sign. After seeing beggars in Asia, Egypt and South America these guys don't have it that bad. I am from New Zealand and homeless don't ask for money, because no one will give them any and therefore you never see them. Give to a city mission charity instead. As for this law, fine, but as a tourist I was harassed and cornered by (supposed) homeless for money in seattle, vancouver and portland. I live in London now and have learnt to ignore them here.

Damien Knowles has contributed a photo to this story.

Kaitlin

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:23 on January 11th, 2008

Rob Peters, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Here's hoping something similar happens in Vancouver!

El-Branden Brazil

at 19:43 on January 11th, 2008

I am delighted to read that the homeless in Seattle are being provided with protection and rights, as they should be. Dehumanizing the disadvantaged has gone on for far to long. It is all too easy to ignore their plight. A society that encourages compassion for those in need, improves the lives of all of us.

El-Branden Brazil has contributed a photo to this story.

alexwashburnphotography

at 09:52 on January 12th, 2008

When I last visited Seattle there seemed to be just as many homeless as you would find in San Francisco off Haight Ashbury or in Berkeley off Telegraph.

alexwashburnphotography has contributed a photo to this story.